MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) – Two Romanian nationals in the U.S. illegally have been sentenced to federal prison for a credit card “skimming” scheme that targeted grocery store checkout terminals across Alabama and Mississippi, including Mobile, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
Acting U.S. Attorney Kevin Davidson said a federal judge on March 26, 2026 sentenced Denis Adelin Ionescu, 24, to 46 months in prison and Ioan Victor Stanciu, 33, to 24 months. Ionescu pleaded guilty to possession of device-making equipment; Stanciu pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit access device fraud. Federal sentences do not include parole.
Court records say the investigation began in March 2025 after a skimming device was found on a point-of-sale terminal at a grocery store in Ozark, Alabama. Investigators later tied the pair and others to skimmers placed at stores in Mobile and multiple other Alabama cities, including Dothan, Alexander City, Eufaula, Bessemer, Tuscaloosa, Gadsden, and Talladega, as well as Gulfport, Mississippi…